At the beginning of each year I evaluate the “theme of the
year.” I do a full analysis of where things went well, where there was space
for improvement, and I determine what changes need to be made for the next
year.
Unlike previous years the 2015 theme took time to
unfold. Usually by the end of one year I
know the direction in which I need to go in order to move towards the vision I
have for my life. For example the theme
for 2013 was “life without fear.” This
was an easy theme to set as it came after a tumultuous 2012 that was marked by
selling my home, divorcing, and finishing my dissertation. I knew that if I could do those things with
knees knocking and tears streaming I was pretty much up for anything. I marked
the beginning of “life without fear” by doing something I had never done…putting
on a pair of running shoes and completing a 5k.
The 5k was scary; but, what was more terrifying was putting myself in an
environment to make new friends. As quiet as it’s kept I’m an introvert. I seek deep relationships with a few people
versus surface relationships with many. To put myself in a position where I was
with hundreds of people without one airbag friend was one of my biggest fears
realized. However, from that race, “The
Resolution Run,” I met friends from the Sacramento Sister Circle and Black
Girls Run!
Life without fear
After 13 half-marathons in 2013, many of which I ran by
myself, setting the theme for 2014 was easy.
2014 became the “Year of the Myth Buster.” This was the year was about defy what
other people thought I was capable of doing AND to do my part to defy
stereotypes. It was the year I ran my
first marathon and chased away the myths of impossibility. It was marked by
excellence and shifting definitions from what people thought I should feel and
believe to the reality of who I am in this space in time. The myth buster year was the year I challenged
others to shift from looking at, and responding to, events to identifying and
changing the belief systems that fuel the myths.
Myth-Buster
After a phenomenal 2013 and 2014 in came 2015. For months I
struggled trying to determine what the “theme of the year” would be. In mid-March the theme found me, it was
simply, “Unleashed.” There was dual
focus for unleashed. First, it was about breaking the mental, physical, and
spiritual chains that bound me. Second, unleashed was about unleashing my
passion on this world to drive change for “the least of these.” I learned that by helping others maximize
their potential and assisting them in finding their voice I was able to
indirectly serve humanity. This is not to say being unleashed is easy. It’s about pressing forward, unbound.
UNLEASHED!
When I sat to write this end of year blog I had a theme, but it felt
contrived, the words didn’t flow. As I
closed my computer and went to bed, I felt a little down. The theme I wanted to have wasn’t the theme I
needed to have. As I prepared for sleep
I checked to make sure my alarm was turned off.
I figured I’d sleep in and maybe inspiration would find me via a dream. As
providence would have it I woke up at 6am, an hour before my usual alarm, from
a deep sleep with no inspiration. As I
flossed my teeth I received a text, and a few minutes later a call, from a dear
friend. As we chatted about issues large
and small, this is what I jotted down
I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I went about morning chores of laundry and
walking the dog. As I prepared to shower the lines caught my attention.
I Manifest
New Beginnings
Not caring what people think
When I read it I felt uncomfortable. Who was I to think I
could manifest something? Who do I think
I am? This was clearly fear speaking. As I learned from 2013, life is to be lived
without fear. Of course I could manifest the vision for my life. If not me who?
Then I thought about New Beginnings…how trite…this is what
everyone says at the beginning of each year.
Then it hit me, so what if they are.
The belief system that fuels the myth is that New Beginnings is talking
about a New Year. Yes, each year marks, as the calendar shows, a “new beginning.” However, each new day is an opportunity to
reset, as is every second in which we are blessed to take a breath. The lesson learned from the myth buster year
of 2014 is that things are not always as they appear to be just because “Everyone”
says it is so.
Lastly I read, “Not caring what people think.” This one was hard for me. I tried to change the words. To say something that wasn’t as harsh. Then the words to one of my favorite songs
popped in my mind “life’s much too short to be living somebody else’s life…” It’s not about not caring about people, it’s
about not allowing the thoughts of others to dictate how you live. This represented the final 2015 lesson of an
unleashed year…unleashing the final chain …namely the opinions of others. As another dear friend says "the committee can have an opinion; but, they don't run my life."
So, it was within that moment the theme for 2016 was born.
I Manifest
New Beginnings
Not caring what people think
Do you know your theme for the year? Are you making resolutions or establishing
new goals? If you are, are they in
alignment with the vision you have for your life? Do you know what that vision is? If you have not replied with a resounding YES
to these questions it’s time to reset. It’s time to boldly live life on
purpose.
To start 2016 off right I’m offering “Moving
past New Year’s Resolutions: How to cast
a vision for your life and the steps to accomplishing it” session at a
significantly reduced rate for 10 people.
I hope to see you there!
